Rana Nouman Rafaqat
Additional Name(s): Ayan Shah
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Pakistan
Religion or Belief: Unspecified
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Sentence: Death
Date of Detainment: March//2017
Date of Sentencing: January/8/2021
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Blasphemy (Religious Figures) Online Activity
Nature of Charges: Blasphemy Hate Speech Terrorism
Rana Nouman Rafaqat
Extra Bio Info:
Rana Nouman Rafaqat is imprisoned and sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy.
In March 2017, authorities arrested Rafaqat after he was accused of uploading "blasphemous" content on the internet.
In January 2021, an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad sentenced Rafaqat to death for “intending to outrage religious feelings” and “insulting the Prophet Muhammad” (Secs. 295-A, 295-C PPC), and terrorism defined as “inciting hatred and contempt on religious, sectarian or ethnic basis to stir up violence or cause internal disturbance” (Sec. 7(g) Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997).
Publicly Available Information:
- "ATC hands death penalty to Nasir Sultani, 2 others in blasphemy case" Bol
- "In a first, three get death for 'cyberspace blasphemy'" Dawn
- USCIRF Policy Update: Pakistan's Blasphemy Law October 2019
- "Dangerous situation for Freethinkers and Humanists in Pakistan" International Humanist and Ethical Union
- "Pakistan is harassing and persecuting the non-religious under the guise of 'blasphemy'" Humanists International